


Three Dead Goldfish and an Alien Roomate

by willbffd



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, halflifevrbuttheaiisselfaware - Fandom
Genre: BenRey - Freeform, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gordon Freeman - Freeform, HLVRAI, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Tags will be updated, black mesa sweetvoice, gordonfreeman, halflifevrbuttheaiisselfaware, hurt comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27725483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willbffd/pseuds/willbffd
Summary: Despite the three dead goldfish and the rancid odor from the fridge, Gordon's apartment was pretty much the same as he had left it. Being gone fighting aliens, for a few days? Weeks? Who knew, had taken its toll on him. Gordon stood in the doorway, lingering for a few breaths to watch how the dust bunnies shifted from the light disturbance. He was home. All his friends had made it, well except for Benrey. He didn’t know what to consider the guard. The word friend filled him with bitter feelings, yet enemy left a sour twinge in his gut. Though that could just be the Chuck E. Cheese pizza.
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman
Comments: 24
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter One

Despite the three dead goldfish and the rancid odor from the fridge, Gordon's apartment was pretty much the same as he had left it. Being gone fighting aliens, for a few days? Weeks? Who knew, had taken its toll on him. Gordon stood in the doorway, lingering for a few breaths to watch how the dust bunnies shifted from the light disturbance. He was home. All his friends had made it, well except for Benrey. He didn’t know what to consider the guard. The word friend filled him with bitter feelings, yet enemy left a sour twinge in his gut. Though that could just be the Chuck E. Cheese pizza.  


Making his way to the bathroom, he was well aware of the thick trail of footprints that followed him. Blood, mud, and alien guts, all smeared over the dust caked floors of the small room. He’d have to have a cleaning day soon, though the last thing he wanted was to open up the fridge and face the heaping mess of rotten food.  
The sight in the mirror wasn’t one to behold. Gordon was shocked by how thin his face looked, smeared with grime. Blood crusted in dense patches in his beard, which desperately needed a trim. Various cuts speckled his skin, some of them still fresh and oozing. He couldn’t meet the sad reflection of his tired eyes, bordered by dark sunken bags.  


The shower. God he needed to get clean. He’d need to get out of the suit first though. With a sigh, Gordon began to pick at the latches with his sore fingers. The gentle hiss of the decompression units kicked in, sending a blissful rush of cool air through the suit. He dropped down the main chest plate with an ear shattering clatter. Wincing, Gordon went to unfasten the arm cuffs. His right hand twinged at the effort, he still wasn’t used to the new hand. Before they went to Chuck E. Cheese, Gman had done some weird shit and somehow reattached it? It didn’t feel quite right. The odd foreignity of the new limb didn’t sit well with him, though there wasn’t much he could do about that.  


He managed to slide off the arm- piece, the rest of the suit soon to follow. He was fucking disgusting. The tight cloth under armour was soaked with sweat and blood to the point of falling apart. Several large tears already littered its surface where the metal joints of the HEV suit had rubbed against it. Peeling out of the nearly disintegrated fabric, Gordon turned on the water. Not caring to wait for it to warm, he stepped into the cold stream of water letting out a deep sigh.  


As the water began to warm, he reached out to take hold of the shampoo bottle. Days of filth washed away with little effort. He watched as the dirty suds swirled down the drain, leaving dark residue to cling to the edge of the waterflow. Getting out his comb, he brushed a small dollop of conditioner through his curls. The gentle scratch of the toothed comb against his scalp fueled his motivation to pick at the knots tangled through his hair. After what was long enough to leave him with a sore arm, Gordon rinsed out the last of the conditioner, twisting the knob to shut off the water.  


Feeling clean automatically was a mood booster. The layers of grime were gone, now he could move onto more important things. Like getting some fucking sleep, god he was tired. Kicking aside various pieces of HEV suit, Gordon made his way to his bedroom. He grunted, flopping down onto the bed face first. The feeling of something other than a cold floor was heavenly. Gordon didn’t even have a chance to get under the covers, his heavy eyelids giving into the pressure almost instantly.  


Morning came far too quickly. The suns rays slipping in through the cracks of Gordons blinds were far from welcome as he rolled over with a dramatic groan. He wasn’t ready for today. He wanted to curl up into a little ball and just sleep forever, maybe then he wouldn’t have to deal with the hunk of metal in his bathroom or the mess he made in the living area. But his body wouldn’t allow that. Giving in to the pang of hunger, Gordon clambered from the bed. The floor was shockingly cold against his bare feet. Slipping into the fuzzy slippers under his bed, he headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.  
Nevermind. The fridge was a war zone. There had to be toxic waste or some shit in there from the smell of it. Fighting off a gag, Gordon hastily shut the door to prevent any further fumes from escaping. He’d just have to order in something, hopefully there was a breakfast place open on whatever day it was. Luckily for Gordon, it wasn’t a Sunday, so most places were open. Making a quick order online, he flopped down on the couch to wait for the food to arrive.  


The doorbell rang surprisingly quickly. Gordon got up from the couch to answer it, his heart dropping down to his knees. The figure at the door was battered and dirty. Looking down at him from beneath the shadow casted by his dingy helmet, the guard flashed a quick toothy smile. “Haha heyyy-“ Gordon shut the door as hard and fast as humanly possible.


	2. Chapter Two

The slam of the door against the man’s face was far too satisfying. Gordon was almost tempted to open the door to do it again, but the initial shock had begun to subside to a panicked furor. “OwwWw hey, that hurt. Bro.” The whiny voice was muffled by the closed door, a few rapid knocks quickly following. 

“Go- Get the fuck out!” Gordon peered through the peep hole, latching the lock shut. Benrey sort of just stood there. Just the sight of the man made Gordon want to strangle him with his bare hands and hide behind the couch at the same time. The small bubble of relief in the bottom of his chest almost made him sick. Fuck no he was not relieved to see Benrey. He’d almost killed the whole science team and Gordon with no remorse. He hated his guts. He fucking sucked. He was not happy to see him. 

There was a light shuffle of shoes beneath the crack of the door before Benrey uttered his reply. “I am out. Idiot,” The dramatic huff that followed made Gordons blood boil. “Shut the door in my face, kinda cringe bro. Not going to let your best pal Benrey come inside? Please? It’s cold?” 

Gordon almost left it at that. How easy it would be to just go hide in his bathroom and wait for Benrey to leave. But he had ordered food and the delivery guy would be there any minute. Horror stories flashed through his head, Benrey intercepting his food or scaring off the delivery man. He was far too hungry to leave that up to chance, “Ok- Just fine.” The sickening click of the unlatched lock followed by the quiet cheer of “Poggers!” Filled Gordon with an instant regret. 

He winced at the sight of the guard. His tired eyes were more sunken than Gordons. Benrey’s smile, now stained with the blood from his smashed nose, was just as lazily arrogant as before. The guard peered around Gordon, his brow furrowing at the mess of a house. “Damn bro, you live like this? Looks kinda shit,” he moved to slide past him, intercepted by an angry thrust of Gordons arm. 

“Shut the fuck up. You are not welcome here. I can’t have you lingering around outside my apartment looking like you just got hit by a garbage truck. You will wait here,” he pointed to the corner of the room, “I will get my food, you will clean up th- this,” his arms gestured wildly toward Benreys entire grimy body, “then you will leave and never come back.” 

Gordon took the man’s silence as an answer, moving back over to the couch with a heavy sigh. “Yo you got playstation 5?” The cushions bounced beneath Gordon as Benrey flopped down beside him. “No! Get the hell off!” Gordon thrust his arms out in a feeble shove, the guard not budging an inch. “Ow, mann why are you so mean,” Benrey’s pouty tone did nothing to ease the growing frustration in Gordons chest. “Off the fucking couch! You’re gross you have like- like alien shit all over you.” Gordon stood, his hands raising to pull at his hair. “I said stand over there. I’m the corner. You had one! One simple instruction.” 

Benrey didn’t get up, simply throwing his awful mud caked boots over the couch where Gordon had gotten up from. Gordon opened his mouth to retort but Benrey was saved by the buzz of the doorbell. Giving Benrey a quick death glare, Gordon grumbled making his way to the door. 

“Uhhhh I’ve got a breakfast sandwich, no pickle?” The delivery man passed the bag along to Gordon as he spoke. “Thanks yeah, uhh here-“ He fumbled over a few dollars in tip before heading back inside with a curt nod. The warm fragrance of the fast food made Gordons stomach grumble ravenously. In a hunger fueled haste, he settled down at the kitchen table. Wrapped up in the moment Gordon almost forgot about his unexpected house guest. Almost. 

“Hey uh- there’s only one sandwich? We gonna split it or sumthin?” Gordon pulled the bag away from the poised hands at the end of the table. “Hell no,” He carefully removed it from its packaging, eyeing Benrey dangerously. “This is my breakfast you can like find your own,” He took a bite, meeting Benrey’s greedy eyes with an equally stubborn stare. Swallowing, Gordon couldn’t help but feel just a tad guilty for rubbing it in like that. Benrey sat unmoving, looking saddened, almost dejected. 

An uncomfortable silence settled over the kitchen, only parted by the soft clicks of Benrey’s nails tapping against the table. Gordon didn’t really feel hungry anymore. Well that was a lie, he was hungry as hell. But he couldn’t bring himself to eat with the alien just sitting there… staring at him. “Can I have the wrapper?” The guards pitiful request was the final straw. “Oh my God fine just fuckin take the sandwhich,” Gordon shoved the partially eaten meal over toward Benrey with a frustrated sigh. Benrey sat for a moment, his gaze flicking back and forth from the sandwich, to Gordon, to back to the sandwich. 

“Uh take half? I don’t want your cooties,” he made a gesture toward the singular bite Gordon had taken from it. “My cooties?“ Gordon laughed painfully, “If you say so man.” Grateful the whole meal hadn’t been lost to the greedy alien, he tore off half the sandwich to finish for himself. 

“So.” Gordon began, taking another bite from his half of the sandwich, “Like what do you plan to do man? Do you even have a place to stay?” He was met by a blank stare. The silence popped with the quick smack of Benrey’s lips, “I dunno. Cruise around? Surf some couches. Maybe stay here…” he lingered on the words, meeting Gordons eyes with a pitiful look. 

“Stay here? Are you asking to stay with me? After you tried to kill me- all of us? You’re fucking insane dude!” Gordons hands hit the table a little harder than he meant them to. Seeing the spark of fear flash across the aliens face quickly bubbled down the immediate anger to a low simmering guilt. “I- I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled,” the guard was unresponsive. “You can uh,” Gordon paused to rub at his stinging palm, “You can stay here for a few nights until you get back on your feet. Just like don’t fucking kill me in my sleep or some shit.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with a low groan. 

“Dude for real?” Benrey didn’t bother to finish his half of the food, setting the empty slices of bread down onto the bare table. “Like I can crash here? Niceeee dude we’re like roommates now haha,” His lazy lidded gaze was glittered with smug accomplishment. Not bothering to argue, Gordon rolled his eyes, gathering up his trash. “Actually one condition though,” He paused to look back toward Benrey, who was only half paying attention. “You help me clean out the fridge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey haha sup bro’s uh chapter two :) I dunno what to say here so uh yeah. Sorry my chapters are so short this is kinda just a thing for fun and i’m just like writing for a bit every day ya know


	3. Chapter Three

Tackling the fridge was much less of a monster with a little help. Gordon held his breath, pulling open the door with a dreadful hesitance. The toxic fumes were now unavoidable. Gordon grudgingly accepted the fact that he would have to breathe sooner or later, taking in a shallow breath. It wasn’t as bad as he had made it out to be before. Yeah it sucked but it was nothing to be too dramatic about in reality. 

Benrey seemed virtually unaffected by the pungent mix of rotting food. Gordon was met by a concerning glance, oh great now he was being judged. “This wasn’t my fault,” He hunched down in front of the fridge, beginning to pull the rotten produce from the drawer. “It just got like this because like- we were gone for weeks man. I don’t know how many, but weeks.” 

“I didn’t say anything. No need to get all defensive,” Benrey grumbled, sinking down beside him. Gordon was shocked by the small amount of space the fridge doors allowed them. Crammed together, he could feel the tense warmth of the aliens body pressed up against his side. It was awkward. They both worked in silence, reaching around and over each other to pull various unsalvageable items from the shelves. 

Gordon reached out mindlessly to grab an old jug of orange juice from the back. Another hand bumped his, both of them yanked back with vigor, sending the jug spilling over. Cold liquid soaked the front of his t-shirt. Gordon withdrew with a shiver, “Ah, fuck.” He stood, rushing back to grab a towel before the spilled juice could seep beneath the fridge. Looking back toward Benrey he felt his stomach clench. The other man was also soaked in spoiled juice. Gordon couldn’t help but notice a hint of pink dusted across his cheeks. What the fuck? He shoved the flutter in his stomach deep deep down, fuck no. He was not going to unpack that right now. He had juice to clean up. 

“Here,” Gordon crouched back down beside Benrey, using the towel to dab most of the juice off his already disgusting uniform. “You can shower after this, uh we gotta get you some new clothes or something soon because you are not wearing that.” A couple of glowing orbs sang from Benrey’s mouth, cut off with the slap of his hand against his face. A muddy yellow (almost mustard?) that faded into soft pale pink. 

“What does that mean?” The guard was silent, his brows scrunched in concentration. It was funny looking. Gordon wasn’t used to seeing him all embarrassed like that. Wiping up the rest of the juice he tossed the towel back behind him. It was hard to focus on the fridge. The burning pale eyes locked into his face were driving Gordon insane. “Ok, I can handle the rest. You need a shower, now.” 

A sigh heaved from Gordons chest as the guard rose silently, walking stiffly from the kitchen. Gordon realized he hadn’t even told Benrey where the shower, or the towels for that matter, were. Well hopefully he could find it, it was a pretty small apartment after all. 

Dumping the last of the spoiled food in the garbage can, Gordon patted his hands off on his sweats. He almost made his way to the couch before being stopped midstride. Shit. Benrey didn’t have any clothes. Rushing to his bedroom, Gordon pulled an old t shirt and some basketball shorts from his closet. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too baggy on the other man. He still was a couple sizes smaller than Gordon, despite being a few inches taller. 

The gentle hiss of the shower down the hall filled the walkway with an imagination inducing ambience. He stood at the bathroom door a few moments, bathing in the sound. Gordon felt his mind wander to Benrey in the shower. Wait what the fuck. He torched the mental image in his mind before the train of thought could get derailed. God what was he, some creep? 

“Yo…. you talkin to someone out there?” The low voice bounced around the acoustics of the bathroom, giving it a pleasant timbre. Gordon took a moment to process the words. Shit was he talking to himself? He gritted his teeth together. “No. I brought you some clothes, they’re by the door.” He set the folded pile down with a quiet thump, making his way back down the hall before he could hear the grumbly “Thanks.” 

Gordon flopped down on the couch with a groan. Nothing in his life could be easy, plain, or simple, could it? Fuck he couldn’t even have a full 24 hours without Benrey having to show up in his life and stir up the muddled pot of mixed emotions in his brain. As if right on queue with his thoughts, the heavy shuffle down the hall caught Gordons ear. 

“Hey man,” Gordon leaned over the back of the couch. As Benrey turned the corner he felt that same telltale flutter in his gut. The taller man draped in his clothes did something to his heart, twisting it and wrenching it free from his chest. He didn’t like it, not one single bit. Fuck that honestly, he hated the guy, he hated him so much, fuck him. 

He wasn’t wearing his helmet. The sight caught Gordon slightly off guard. He didn’t know what he expected, but it certainly wasn’t just like… normal hair. Benrey’s face was lifted from the shadow his helmet had casted, highlighting features that before weren’t that noticeable. His thick brows were messy and dark. Hovering over pale yellow eyes, which seemed much less intimidating in the light. 

“Whatcha doin, Lameman? Staring at the blank tv screen? That’s like… the saddest shit I’ve ever seen.” He settled down beside Gordon on the couch, his dark mop of hair still wet and frizzy from his sloppy towel drying. “No- I’m not-“ Gordon rolled his eyes, picking up the remote. “I was just waiting for you, dumbass. Pick out a movie. I have like netflix and shit.” 

Gordon flipped mindlessly through the titles. None of them in particular caught his eye, he’d let Benrey choose this time around. “Oh-“ Eager fingers flew out to grab the remote from him, taking in his entire hand into their grasp along with it. “Gah- Dude what the fuck,” Gordon didn’t allow himself to linger in the warm fuzzy feeling it brought, yanking his hand away with a new vigor. 

Unbothered, Benrey continued. “Paul Blart Mall Cop! You almost just scrolled past a cinematic masterpiece dude, uncultured.” Before Gordon could protest, the guard had already clicked start on the movie. He flopped back into the couch with a sigh. The shitty small futon was barely big enough to fit the two of them without touching. The heat of the other body radiating near his made Gordon realize just how cold he was. 

Pulling the folded blanket off the arm of the futon, Gordon draped it over his legs. He snuggled down into the warmth, hardly paying attention to the main dude talking to some old man on a shopping moped about ‘reckless driving’. The blanket yanked from across his legs, sending a rush of cold air to flood into the space he had created. 

“Wh- Benrey!” He reached to grab the end of the blanket. Snagging it in his grip, Gordon pulled back. “That’s- that’s my fucking blanket! Get your own, asshole.” He was answered with an equally stubborn pull, “No dudeee I’m cold. I don’t wanna get up.” 

Gordon growled, jabbing his heel into the aliens side, “No! Fuckin- Give it back.” “Ow- Youre so mean to me dude,” Benrey frowned, “Sharing is caring, don’t act like a fuckin kindergartener bro.” 

“God fine! But you get half.” Gordon begrudgingly let Benrey take half the blanket, scoring closer to conserve space. “Poggg!” The alien fell into Gordon, wrapping himself in the warmth of the blanket. Gordon let out what he refuses to admit as a squeak. His heart threatened to burst from his chest as the alien leaned his head on his shoulder. 

It was far more intimate than he had prepared for. No- it was fine. He was just making the whole situation weird. They were just two dudes, two pals, sitting and watching a shitty movie together. Friends do this shit all the time, It didn’t have to be some crisis. He just needed to suck it up and stop over analyzing the situation. 

Embracing the heated body against his own, Gordon leaned back into the couch. His arm wandered around the guards neck, coming to rest heavily on his shoulder. The movie droned on in the background, simply providing noise for Gordons scrambled mind to use as a background. 

He could feel the slow rise and fall of Benreys chest against his side. It was nice. Gordon hadn't had this sort of intimacy with anyone since he got divorced from his ex wife. It was a few moments before he realized the rumbly breaths from Benrey had turned into soft snores. He couldn’t help the soft smile that crossed his face, it was almost cute. 

Too tired to bother lambasting his thoughts, Gordon let his breaths grow deeper. His detachment from the movie only piled on the growing weight over his eyelids. He allowed himself to settle in, resting his head against Benreys to fade off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy hope you guys liked this chapter haha. A little fluff for the homies :) Dont worry, the pain is coming
> 
> ( Pink to mustard means I am flustered )

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Sorry for the short first chapter the second one will be longer I promise :) This is my first ever time writing a fic so I hope y’all enjoy! My insta is at @willbffdart so feel free to contact me with any suggestions/ constructive criticism


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